The Greatest Bond
by Droakir
Summary: Derek, a 20th Century boy, suddenly finds himself in the world of Pern...
1. Chapter 1

**The Greatest Bond**

_by. N. Rackley_

_NOTE: This was a story that I wrote way back when I was eleven years old. Some day I hope to finish it. We discovered the original manuscript a short while ago, and decided to post it for everyone's reading pleasure. Enjoy!_

---

Derek set down his book on the night stand. He was extremely tired. Completing the book for the fifth time was not a great feat for him, it was his obsession. He had read the entire series four times through from beginning to end, and now it was his fifth.

The series was about dragons, and the people who rode them. The rose to battle a menace from the skies, called Thread. It was written by an author - Anne McCaffrey.

Derek turned off his light, and then pulled himself under the bed covers. He drifted into deep sleep.

The next morning was a Saturday. Derek got up early and started to practice his electric guitar. He usually kept the amplifier down low, since he didn't like other people to critique his playing, and began to practice.

He had been practicing for several years now, and though not very many people knew it, he was getting good. Almost good enough to be in a band.

That night he lay down again in his bed. As he closed his eyes, he thought he heard something. Derek tried to turn, but he was too exhausted. He drifted into subconsciousness.

***

Derek drifted in an immense blackness. He couldn't move, he couldn't feel, he couldn't breathe! It was what seemed like forever...

***

There was a fleeting glimpse of sunlight. Derek could faintly hear the ocean. It was close. He realized that he was outside - but how could he? Derek tried to move, but he felt stiff. He couldn't even lift a finger.

Derek groaned. He couldn't move. As he lay there, he felt as a shadow went over him. He heard a swooping sound, and then a thud as something heavy landed nearby. He felt a slight breeze.

_Who is it?_ asked a voice.

"I don't know. I'll find out." The second was very similar to the first. Derek tried to turn his head, but he was too weak. He could hear a man making tracks for him.

"Hey!" called a man's voice. "Hey!" Closer now. Derek still couldn't move.

He felt the man kneel over him. The man was tall, but not particularly thin. Dressed in a strange garment made of leather, the man touched Derek's forehead.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Derek tried to respond, but all he could amass was a very weak cough. He felt sick and exhausted. Through the tiny slits of his eyes, he saw the man turn.

_Yes?_ asked the first voice.

"We need to get him back to Fort. He seems to be very ill."

_Right away._

As Derek drifted into unconsciousness, he didn't feel as the man lifted him onto the back of a large elegant beast and went back into the black oblivion.

***

The buzzer rang loudly. Derek smacked the button with his hand and got up. It was still early morning Sunday, but he still had practicing to do. He got out his electric guitar and started reviewing his chords again.

Sleep came quickly again.

Derek lay in a bed against a stone wall. There were a few people standing over him, and one held a basket up with something glowing inside it to get a better look at him.

"Is he all right?" asked a woman's voice.

"The Master Healer says that he will be fine in a while. He just needs time," came a reply - another woman. The woman left. Derek struggled, and was finally able to assume a sitting position.

Derek observed the chamber that he was in. It seemed, to his knowledge, to be very large. He observed one pit, at the far side, with a bright fire lit in it. The light danced off the stone walls.

There was a noise.

A lite plinking at first, resonating through the walls, but it became louder and much more distinct. Derek could recognize it now as the plinking of a guitar - not an electric one like he was used to, but an acoustic. It had wonderful sound.

Derek stood up and started down the hallway shakily. He made his way slowly down the stairs, following the sound, until he found himself in another chamber. People surrounded large tables, eating and drinking. The sound of talking was almost deafening, and only quieted when the guitar was played. The man who played it was dressed in a deep, vibrant blue.

Derek made his way along the wall, and watched cautiously. He observed the player for some time.

Eventually, when most of the crowd had cleared, the man set down his guitar, and walked to the far side of the chamber to speak with someone. No one noticed Derek as he picked up the guitar. He sat on the stool. People (though not many) did turn, however, when he started to strike a few cords. The chamber was almost empty, but a woman, who was speaking with the man in blue, turned to see who was playing. So did the man, and both their jaws dropped.

Derek didn't notice. His head was swimming with different thoughts, and the only way he knew to clear it up was by playing.

When he stopped, however, he could hear a man (the one in the blue) clapping. "Good playing, son!" he said, "How long have you been practicing?"

Derek looked at him, clearly puzzled.

"Twelve years."

"Years? I vaguely remember hearing of such a term... a nomenclature that we here refer to as a turn, I believe. But twelve?"

"Well, that's not exactly accurate. I've been playing stringed instruments for twelve years. The guitar, however, I only started playing about three years ago."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Well then. How did you learn?" The man was walking towards him.

"I taught myself."

"You _did_?!"

"Yes... it's not that hard when you've had formal education in other instruments. For example, I already knew how to read music, so..." Derek looked the man hesitantly in the eye, "it makes it easier."

The man straightened, thinking. Then he held out his hand. "I see now that you don't wear Fort's colors. I am Master Tallon from the Harper Hall."

"H-harper Hall?"

"Yes."

"What?!"

"I said that I'm from the Harper Hall."

"I... Where am I, anyway? I found myself in a room upstairs. The last thing I remember before that was..." He thought hard about it. All he could remember was... "The... the... I remember a beach."

"Well, son, you're at Fort Hold."

"But... But I can't be at Fort Hold! It's impossible!"

"Why is it impossible?"

"Because Fort Hold doesn't exist!"

The man looked at him blankly for a minute. "Where are you from?"

"I'm from the southwest! In the United States! Planet Earth! Not Pern, Earth! I'm probably older now than anyone you've ever known, if you want a comparison - I'm older than your ancients! Older than Admiral Benden! By - By thousands of years!"

The woman went out the door. The sound "Master Healer" could be heard. A man stepped into the chamber. He was a tall, beared man.

"You need rest," said the man, "You don't look well."

"Well?" asked Derek, "I'm more than well! I'm fine!"

"What has he been saying?" asked the Healer.

The harper turned to him. "He says he's from Earth. But that's _impossible_! No one could span that distance without a dragon - and even then, it's too far a distance to traverse."

"What Pass is it?" asked Derek.

"Pass?" asked the harper.

"Yes. What Pass?"

"There are no more passes," said the healer. "Lord F'lar saw to that."

"Good," muttered Derek. He let them follow him as he went back to the chamber he had been resting in. "I hope that you think about what I've been saying," he said. "I am telling the truth. I don't know how I got here, but I am from Earth." In fact, it had been Derek's dream to be on Pern. He had wished it, willed it, hoped. It was simply the suddenness that had startled him. He went to bed.

***

Derek woke up Monday. Time for school. He thought about his dream. _Dream?_ It seemed too real... He wondered what would happen next.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Greatest Bond Part II**

_by N. Rackley_

_NOTE: This was a story that I wrote way back when I was eleven years old. Some day I hope to finish it. We discovered the original manuscript a short while ago, and decided to post it for everyone's reading pleasure. Enjoy!_

----

School went by slowly, but Derek was still dumbfounded. His - well, the only this he could call it would be a dream, was just so... so _real_.

He remembered the smell of freshly cooked meat, the taste of the air, the sounds, the touch of the cold, smooth, varnished wood of the guitar. Derek didn't noticed that passage of time as he contemplated. _Harper? Healer? Fort Hold?_ No, it couldn't be right. It simply couldn't.

The rest of the day passed in silent confusion and expectation.

***

Derek awoke in the same chamber, however, he was not alone. There was someone else in the chamber with him.

It was the same woman, who was at the moment staring into the fire across the small room. Derek tried to sit up and the sound made the woman turn.

"You're awake," she said.

"Yes. How long have you been watching me?"

"Oh - a couple of hours."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Lyrrin, head woman of Fort Weyr. And you?"

"Derek."

"Interesting name."

"For you, maybe. Where I'm from, it's rather common."

"And where is that, exactly?" she asked with a kind face, but she looked rather skeptical. Derek, however, responded quickly.

"I'm from Earth."

"Earth? Hmmm... Well, we'll have to check with AIVAS to verify that."

"AIVAS?"

"Yes. We have an AIVAS."

"But... I thought it shut itself down."

"Oh... Oh! You mean _that_ AIVAS! No! We found another one."

"Well... if you found another one, what is the date?"

"Seventy five turns after ninth pass."

"Seventy five turns?" Derek let himself fall to the bedsheets. It was different - everything was different. This changed _everything_! He thought it could be something else. Not _after_. No thread? Amazing!

"No thread?"

"No. Why?"

"Just wondering. When will we see AIVAS?"

"Soon. A dragon is coming to convey you to Fort Weyr."

"A DRAGON? I've never ridden a dragon before..."

"Yes you have."

"I have?"

"When the brought you here - F'ban conveyed you after he found you listless on a beach near southern. He had never seen your condition before, so he brought you here to Fort Hold to see if the Healer Hail could do anything."

Derek was dumbstruck. _Dragons?_ That must have been what he had seen as he lay on that... that beach...

"Come with me."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Or, at least, in a few minutes. You need to change out of those strange clothes."

She gestured towards Derek's jeans and t-shirt he was wearing. He hadn't noticed it before, but he was dressed in ... Earth clothes!

_Earth clothes on Pern!_ he thought, _What a laugh!_

"I'll just wear them."

"Very well then, but you will have to change eventually - you've been wearing those for three days."

"I need them if AIVAS is going to recognize me as from Earth."

"Fine."

She led him down the stairs, under a great archway, and out into a rather large outside courtyard. There was a small dot in the sky that gradually became larger. He couldn't quite tell what it looked like yet, however.

He could hear something - as if it were only half of a conversation. It was quiet, and one had to concentrate slightly to hear, almost as if it were a thought.

_We're overhead now_, said the voice, _Do you wish me to land in the courtyard? Yes, then I will do it._

Derek had read about people who could hear dragons, but he could never have known that he would have the ability as well! He was astounded! Here he was, watching a dot in the sky, and he could hear its thoughts!

_We're landing now._

As Derek watched, the elegant, arching shape of a bronze dragon, its shimmering eyes, landed in front of him. A man was sitting on its back and dismounted. He removed a leather riding helmet.

"So this is the one, eh?" he asked.

Lyrrin nodded. "Yes. Be careful, though - he believed that he really is from Earth - thousands of turns ago."

The man laughed. "Well, I guess that only AIVAS can tell." The man turned to Derek. "I"m N'roke, this is my dragon, Larrinith."

"Pleased to meet you," replied Derek and he nodded to Larrinith.

_Do you really think that he's from Earth?_ the dragon asked its rider.

N'roke muttered, "I don't know."

Derek however, looked Larrinith straight in its blue-green shimmering eyes, and stated, "Yes, I am from Earth. It doesn't matter what N'roke thinks, really."

N'roke's jaw dropped, and Larrinith's eyes flashed red, and blue again.

_Can you hear me?_ asked the dragon.

"Yes, I can," replied Derek.

N'roke then spoke. "It has been almost fifty turns since anyone has been able to hear any dragon other than their own."

"I... I didn't know that..."

"It's all right. I'll keep it a secret unless you want me to reveal it."

"Could you for now?" Derek knew, even as he said these words, that the dragon man wouldn't be able to keep his word for long, however, that did not matter. For all he knew, this was a dream, and he was going to wake up soon. He wished it would last.

"This way," N'roke said, and led Derek to the back of his dragon. Derek had no trouble mounting the beast, although N'roke offered to help. As they took off, the wings beating on either side of them, N'roke looked at Derek. "Have you ever gone _between _before?"

"When I was unconscious."

"I guess that doesn't count."

_Get ready_, said Larrinith.

The trip _between_ was cold and airless, and Derek could feel nothing, but he was not afraid. He felt, rather, content. It was - strangely enough, comfortable with him.

They emerged and a burst of warm air hit their faces. They were soaring high over Fort Weyr (Derek could recognize it from the books). The description was quite adequate. Dragons soared overhead and below, all headed towards the same estimation - the Weyr. N'roke led Derek down the great staircase after they landed at the Star Stones.

In a great chamber was a door. N'roke passed several dragon riders who saluted him. Derek supposed that he was a wing leader.

They passed through the arching door way and into a different, smaller chamber. The walls looked like they were made of some sort of synthetic plastic. ON the far wall was what looked like a giant computer monitor. A green light glowed next to it, and on a pedestal (or similar; more like a shelf extruded from the wall) was a type of image scanner. Derek looked around in awe.

"State your intentions," said a voice.

N'roke spoke first. "AIVAS, I have brought a person before you who claims to be from Earth. We hope that you may be able to shed some light on the matter."

Derek looked at AIVAS. It was the most advanced computer program ever written. He had tried to attempt artificial intelligence once (not only was he adept with a guitar, but programming computers, too), and had failed. He wanted to create one that would speak, read, interpret, etc. He planned to be a programmer, not an amateur guitarist.

The computer observed Derek, and then stated, "He is from Earth." An image flashed on the screen. It was an image of a typical person, like one Derek would see at school every day. "This is the type of clothing worn in the time period that he has described that he comes from. Will you come closer and introduce yourself?"

Derek stepped forward and spoke. "I'm Derek."

"Derek Nathalan?"

"Y...Yes!" Derek was startled. "How did you know who I am?"

"Technological database. AIVAS is a project that has been under development for many, many turns. You were on the chief programming team."

"Me?"

"Affirmative. In approximately fifty turns, you will help give birth to AI. N'roke, treat this boy well - he is one of my original creators."

N'roke looked blankly at the screen. "Creator, sir?"

"Yes. He is from the past. In fact, he is from the distant past."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Greatest Bond Part III**

_by N. Rackley_

**Author's Notes**

The first two parts of this story were written when I was eleven years old. Not long ago this manuscript was discovered among several others, and with the urging of some friends, I decided to post it for everyone's reading pleasure.

I am now a professional illustrator, writer, and cartoonist. I would like to believe that I have improved in my writing ability, and now I would like to prove it. I am now, over a decade later, continuing this story. I hope that it is up to everyone's expectations!

If you like this story, or you would like to read any of my other material, feel free to watch me on my deviantArt account: droakir [dot] deviantart [dot] com

Thank you, and enjoy!

_-N. Rackley_

My daily cartoon strip: www [dot] lakewoodthecomic [dot] com

* * *

The sun was now dipping over the horizon, casting it's amber glow upon the rim of the ancient caldera. Derek stood on the rim, trying to let his eyes absorb everything that he saw. His eyes worked from one end of the giant crater to the other as he tried to believe what he was seeing. The voices of the many dragons below had become something of a low drone in the back of his mind, much as it would be if he found himself amidst a large crowd of people mumbling in indistinct tones. Every once in a while a word or a name would stand out to him, but for now his mind was clear. The cool touch of a hand on his shoulder caused him to break his concentration.

"Lord N'roke thought you might need this," a young female voice said as he turned. The young girl could not have been much older than he. She was tall and slender, and was clad in the typical brown colors of the weyr. In her hands she grasped what appeared to be some sort of blanket. She held it out to him.

Derek hadn't realized how cold it had been getting outside. "Thank you," he said as he thankfully accepted the blanket from her and draped it over his shoulders. The young woman nodded and turned to leave. "Wait--" Derek called out after her, and she stopped, several strides away from him and turned.

"Yes?" She said as she brushed a strand of black hair out of her face.

"What is your name?"

"Call me Elli," she said, and with a half smile, she disappeared from view down the large open staircase beyond.

Derek sighed and turned back to his observations of the weyr's activities. The sun had dropped below the horizon now, and everything was now in shades of purple or black. A few dragons spiraled down from the ever blackening sky and landed towards the middle of the crater. So much work to do, he thought. He had never truly realized what it must be like to live in a world such as this. Even without the impending threat of something like thread, it was still a sight to behold. Children walked along the walls, placing small glowing objects into baskets that illuminated the pathways. Derek drew a deep breath of the cool, fresh air on the rim of the crater. _Could it be real?_ He thought to himself. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Derek knew that he must be lying in his bed, dreaming this. All of this. But the world seemed so vivid that it was hard to deny. He let his mind wander for a while longer until he heard his voice being called.

"Are you Derek?" asked a young man with light brown hair that joined him on the rim. Derek nodded. "Would you come with me? We had very little notice, and until other quarters are prepared, we were informed that you would be joining us in the youth barracks."

"Youth quarters?" Derek asked, slightly surprised. "You don't mean the weyrling barracks?"

The young man shook his head. "No, sir, the youth quarters. There are far fewer dragons now that thread is no longer a threat," the young man sighed, "Every turn the weyr is becoming more and more like a hold."

Derek nodded in agreement as he followed the youth down the corridor and several flights of large steps. He was surprised at how smooth the walls were. The dim lights seemed to shimmer off of the surface that was polished to a sheen. They continued downward until the corridor widened and branched out in several directions. It was rather apparent that the young man had repeated this path so often that it was like second nature. He chose one of the side hallways without even pausing and suddenly they were in a large reception chamber. It was obvious that they were on the same level as the base of the crater.

"You mind telling me how far we have to go?" Derek called ahead, and the brown-haired boy turned to look at him. Suddenly, his face changed from plain contemplation to one of sincere puzzlement.

"Not much further," he replied, and as they continued he appeared to walk a slight more slowly than he had previously. He kept glancing back at Derek as if something did not exactly make sense to him. They walked through another set of doors, and a blast of cold air hit Derek in the face. They were now walking along the inside base of the crater.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question?" said Derek as they passed through a body of hustling youngsters. The other pointed straight ahead at a long building with a soft light filtering through the windows.

"Ask me once we get inside," he said. They approached the steps to the barracks, and to Derek's surprise, the youth yanked the heavy door open as if it were nothing. He gestured for Derek to step inside. The room was dimly lit (apparently something quite common in the weyrs) and appeared to be rather empty of inhabitants. Several cots lay stacked, unused against one wall while the others appeared to have little more than a small chest at one end for personal belongings. The young man sat down on a cot and gestured to the one next to him. "You can sleep here for tonight, until we find you better accommodations."

"Where is everybody?" asked Derek, pointing towards the stacked cots.

"One of the older riders took the younger ones on a hunting trip. They'll be back next week."

"Sounds like fun," Derek said and the young man nodded. He was still giving Derek an odd look. This continued while Derek unlaced his shoes and set them at the foot of the bed. The young man glanced at the shoes, and then over towards him once again.

"Is there something that you wanted?" Derek asked, slightly annoyed at the prolonged observation that he was apparently subject to. The brown-haired boy blinked and then, as if broken out of a trance, stuttered a response.

"I... it's just... I've never seen clothes like yours before." That was what it was! Derek almost kicked himself for not having thought of this sooner. With Earth clothing, he must have screamed 'foreigner' to anyone that saw him.

"I'm... not from around here," he said as he stripped his socks and stuffed them into his shoes. Derek spread the blanket that the young woman had given him onto his bed, and he slumped back down onto it.

"I can see that," replied the boy. "Where _are_ you from?"

Derek propped himself up on one elbow and looked the young man straight in the eyes. Their color was hard to discern in the dim lighting, but Derek assumed that they were gray. He thought back to the conversation that he had with N'roke soon following their encounter with the AIVAS computer. N'roke had insisted that he not tell anyone about who and where he was from. Though Derek had no idea why this was, he promised N'roke. He searched for a proper response. "I'm from... very far away."

"How far?" Derek could see that this conversation was going nowhere fast. He had to figure out some way to end it. He paused while he searched for the proper response. _What was it that N'roke had told him to say?_ He strained to remember.

Suddenly, it came back to Derek. "That's a weyr matter, I'm not supposed to discuss it." The young man blinked, then nodded. It was surprising how willingly he accepted the explanation. Then Derek smiled at his companion. "I don't believe that we've been formally introduced," he said as he held out his hand. The other young man looked at it for a second, and then took it. "I'm Derek."

"Jarrim," the brown-haired boy replied. Derek shook his hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Jarrim," he said, "I'm sure I'll be able to tell you more soon." Jarrim nodded once again. He put a lid on the basket, and the room was bathed in darkness. Derek slipped between the coarse linen sheets. He found it difficult to find sleep. Thoughts kept dancing through his head. He _wanted_ to believe that all of this was real, yet another part of his mind kept telling him that it was all just a dream. "Jarrim?" he asked in the darkness.

"Yes, Derek?"

"Who is Elli?"

"I have never heard that name before," the other replied. And those were the final words that Derek heard before he fell into a deep sleep.


End file.
